Umami is the fifth taste. For a long time people in the West said there were four — sweet, sour, salty, bitter — and then a Japanese chemist, Kikunae Ikeda, argued in 1908 that there is another one, a deep savoury taste that none of those four describes. That taste is umami.

Umamiumami is the fifth taste是第五種味覺。For a long time長久以來，people in the West said there were four西方人都說只有四種——sweet, sour, salty, bitter甜、酸、鹹、苦——and then a Japanese chemist, Kikunae Ikeda後來一位日本化學家池田菊苗，argued in 1908 that there is another one在1908年主張還有另一種，a deep savoury taste that none of those four describes一種很深的鮮味，是那四種都形容不了的。That taste is umami那個味道就是umami。

You know it already: the taste in a good bowl of beef noodle soup, in mushrooms, in soy sauce, in aged cheese, in tomatoes that have been cooked a long time, in dried scallops and kombu seaweed. It makes food taste full and round, and it makes your mouth water and want more.

You know it already你其實早就知道這個味道：the taste in a good bowl of beef noodle soup, in mushrooms, in soy sauce, in aged cheese, in tomatoes that have been cooked a long time, in dried scallops and kombu seaweed就是一碗好牛肉麵、香菇、醬油、熟成起司、燉很久的番茄、干貝乾和昆布裡的那個味道。It makes food taste full and round它讓食物嚐起來飽滿圓潤，and it makes your mouth water and want more而且讓你流口水、還想再吃。

The word works two ways in English. As a noun: "this soup has a lot of umami". As an adjective before a noun: "an umami flavour", "umami-rich ingredients". Both are common.

The word works two ways in English這個字在英文裡有兩種用法。As a noun當名詞用："this soup has a lot of umami"像'this soup has a lot of umami'（這湯的鮮味很重）。As an adjective before a noun當形容詞放在名詞前面："an umami flavour", "umami-rich ingredients"像'an umami flavour'、'umami-rich ingredients'。Both are common兩種都很常見。

English needed to borrow this word because it had no good one of its own — "savoury" is the closest, but savoury really just means "not sweet", which is a much wider idea.

English needed to borrow this word英文得向外借這個字，because it had no good one of its own因為它自己沒有恰當的字——"savoury" is the closest'savoury'最接近，but savoury really just means "not sweet"但savoury其實只是指'不甜'，which is a much wider idea那是一個範圍寬得多的概念。

Note that it is a fairly new word in English. It arrived properly in the 1980s and 90s with food writing, and for a while it sounded fashionable, the kind of thing a chef on television says. It is now normal in cooking and food articles, but you would not usually say it at a family dinner table; most English speakers would just say "wow, this is really tasty".

Note that it is a fairly new word in English要注意這在英文裡是個相當新的字。It arrived properly in the 1980s and 90s with food writing它是隨著飲食寫作在1980、90年代才真正進入英文，and for a while it sounded fashionable有一陣子聽起來很時髦，the kind of thing a chef on television says是電視上主廚會講的那種話。It is now normal in cooking and food articles它現在在烹飪和飲食文章裡很常見，but you would not usually say it at a family dinner table但在家庭餐桌上通常不會這樣講；most English speakers would just say "wow, this is really tasty"大部分英語使用者只會說'wow, this is really tasty'。

Scientifically, the taste comes from glutamate and a couple of related substances — which is exactly what MSG (味精) is made of.

Scientifically從科學上來說，the taste comes from glutamate and a couple of related substances這個味道來自麩胺酸和幾種相關物質，which is exactly what MSG (味精) is made of而這正是味精(MSG)的成分。